Purpose or Scope of Collection

A. Curricular/Research/Programmatic Needs

The Art Library collection serves several purposes by 1) Supporting
the curricular needs of the Department of Art and the research needs of
undergraduate, graduate students and faculty in that department, 2)
Supporting the programmatic needs of the MSU and Kresge Art Museums, 3)
Supporting the curricular and research needs of such departments and
programs such as IAH, Interior Design, Theater and other disciplines
and 4) Supporting the reference needs of the community at large as a
land-grant institution. Curriculum, research and programs are expanding
beyond the confines of traditional, western-oriented history of art,
which is an extremely important factor to consider.

MSU currently offers a BA in Art History, an MFA in Studio Art, an MA
in Art History and a degree in Art Education. If a PhD program in the
history of art is approved, there will be a substantial impact on the
Art Library, although the program would be interdisciplinary in nature.

B. History of the Collection/Existing Strengths and Emphases

The
collection has strong holdings in the history of the western visual
arts, photography, and architecture. The collections contain both
English and foreign language works, including some Asian vernacular
material. In recent years the collection has been strengthened in the
areas of Asian and African art, and this trend will continue if the
curriculum continues to become more specialized in those areas.
Important collections housed in either the Art Library or Special
Collections are exhibition catalogs, illuminated manuscript facsimiles,
catalogues raisonnés of major artists, French salon catalogues,
journals with original art work such as XXe Siecle and Derrière le
Miroir, books on color and ornamental ironwork, and a substantial
collection on Russian art. A strong reference collection includes major
library catalogs, exhibition and sale indexes, and numerous specialized
encyclopedias, handbooks and biographical dictionaries. The current
journals collection is adequate but somewhat small for a library of
this size. The core strength of the collection is supported by
essential holdings in Main and Special Collections, given the
interdisciplinary nature of the history of art.